Hannah Aster, Author at Shortform Books

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box

What does it mean to lead outside the box? What makes the Zagrum company an out-of-the-box company? In the Arbinger Institute’s story Leadership and Self-Deception, they tell of a company called Zagrum that manages to keep people focused on results while treating others as people—this makes them an out-of-the-box company. And if the main character Tom wants to keep his job, he’ll need to learn the Zagrum way. Continue reading for Leadership and Self-Deception advice for getting out of the box.

Responding to Feedback: Tips for Managers

What is the best way to respond to co-workers’ feedback? How do you overcome defensiveness in the face of negative feedback? Requesting feedback from your colleagues is the first step to improving your management skills, but that feedback means nothing if you don’t know how to respond to it. You need to resist the urge to become defensive and instead, figure out what you can do to improve. Here is how you should go about responding to feedback from your colleagues.

The History of Selling: The 3 Key Milestones

What does the history of selling look like? Are all humans innately salespeople? How has the sales industry evolved over the years? In the book To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink discusses the three origins of the shifts in sales over time: economic change, the rise in technology, and the growth of the education and medical sectors. Due to these three factors, sales have gone from being profit-focused to being buyer-focused. Continue reading to learn more about the history of selling and the three major origins of change.

The Arbinger Institute: Leadership and Self-Deception

What is Aringer Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception about? What is “out of the box” management? Leadership and Self-Deception is the Arbinger Institute’s leadership fable about a man named Tom who needs to learn some lessons if he wants to keep working at Zagrum Company. The story follows Tom’s transformation while providing advice to the reader on how to change the way you think about others. Keep reading for a quick overview of the story.

The Best (and Worst) Books on Dating

Looking for the best books on dating and relationship advice? Which books best fit your needs, and which ones should you avoid? Books about dating have been around for ages, and the advice changes with the societal and cultural changes that happen over time. So, with the abundance of material out there, it can be difficult to know which book is right for you. This is why we put together this list of the best books on dating. We separated our list into three categories: the best books for couples, books about psychology and communication, and books for the tough

A Leader’s Guide to Managing Resistance to Change

Are you stuck in your ways at work? Have you received negative feedback about your performance but are resistant to change? In his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith says that many leaders and managers tend to resist change for a number of reasons. However, if you are receiving negative feedback about your performance, it’s important to make changes and improve, or else you may never move up the ladder. Here is Goldsmith’s advice on managing your resistance to change.

How Distorted Perceptions Cloud Your Leadership

What does it mean to be “inside the box” in the leadership fable Leadership and Self-Deception? How can having distorted perceptions of others make you a poor leader? In the Arbinger Institute’s story, Tom is a new manager who is called out for leading inside the box. He realizes that he hasn’t been treating his employees kindly—or even seeing them as people. Continue reading for an overview of Tom’s story and leadership advice for facing your distorted perceptions of others.

How to Begin Changing Your Management Style

Have you realized that your management style needs improvement but don’t know how to start the change? What are the first steps you should take? When it comes to changing your management style, the first step is to discuss your changes with your colleagues. There are two important steps you need to start with: 1) apologizing for your past behavior, and 2) announcing your intention to change. Here are the first steps to improving how you lead.

The Zagrum Company: Leading Outside the Box

How to Build the Next Trillion Dollar Business

What is the Zagrum Company from Leadership and Self-Deception? Why would this company be considered “out of the box”? In the Arbinger Institute’s leadership fable Leadership and Self-Deception, the main character Tom struggles with self-betrayal and treating others with respect—both at work and at home. He is told about Bud’s experience at the Zagrum Company in hopes of inspiring him to change. Here is the Zagrum Company’s story.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Quotes and Passages

Looking for quotes from Arbinger Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception? What can these quotes teach you about leading outside the box? Leadership and Self-Deception is a fable about facing self-deception as a leader and overcoming your distorted views of others. Only when you realize how important it is to treat your employees with respect and understanding can you start to become a great leader. Here are some of the top Leadership and Self-Deception quotes with explanations.